One bullet point for education

To improve K-12 education, school districts must

• Manage teachers and students for the highly-skilled, creative work we want them to do.

Trends Map based on the Net Generation described in Grown Up Digital

Best Future Self

to be posted...

shadowing

Interesting, I have already made a connection with Jane McGonigal on Facebook. I am choosing her to shadow, but I will have to initiate more communication in order to complete the assignment...stay tuned.

Oh, I chose Jane because she is one of those people I should be listening to... (see my last post)

Switching Gears - Pay Attention!

My experimental period's students have been in the traditional class format since April 5. Next year I will have to remember if I shift gears to pay more attention. I did them wrong by failing to mention that we were reverting to the old homework policy. When I was reminded of this today, I had to add some more homework points that were lost due to my shortcoming rather than the students'.

Now I am shifting gears myself in this blog. I am in a number of online courses, two traditional in Moodle and WebVista, and the other two are radically different. They are both using RSS feeds to receive information/assignments from students. My posting this evening is an assignment for my most radically innovative course, Urgent Evoke, but I feel it is also an assignment for the other innovative course as well. Therefore, I am including both tags!

So, here I am cheating on my first assignment. I was told to pick one, and I find I must pick three secrets to social innovation:
1) think like a child - children have no limit to their thinking
2) keep learning from your customers (for me, from my students)
3) listen to the right people

1) One of my best assets is flexibility in my thinking - #1. It allows me to approach problems of any sort more like an engineer. I coopt all sorts of things for my own purposes. From a message-in-a-bottle that generated my post-spring break lesson plan, to meeting a new like-minded soul and recruiting her to host my students in an internship, to the billboard contest that ended up as a class assignment, I will use anything if it suits my needs.
2) My first and most important discovery as a new teacher was how much I learned from my students. They help me learn to be a better teacher by explaining what they don't understand, what they like, what they don't like, etc. They teach me every day.
3) Listening to the right people can help you avoid mistakes, take other variables into account, and better prepare for the tasks ahead.

And the other course asked me to do something to manifest my vision for education in the future. Here. Here it is. I am both teacher, and learner. I am sharing what I am learning with a wider audience (well if someone will read my blog, that is), I am implementing my secrets to social innovations, too!

Top that! (Okay, so there isn't video...yet!)
:-)

Fourth Quarter - Reviewing for AP Exam

We started 4th quarter today. Although I don't want to discontinue the experiment, I do feel some of this time is crucial to students solidifying their understanding. Therefore, I think we will do this unit of review in the same manner as all classes. However, we will include more technology usage than we have in the past, in all of my classes. After this unit ends next week, we will have a practice AP exam in class. That, also, will be handled the same as in my other classes. After that, though, I may be able to have a few classes that are flexible for this group. Yes, thank you blog. I didn't know that much this morning when I told them we were going to revert back to a more traditional lesson plan for today...

Friday Lab

Today I am happy to report that more laptops were taken from the cart. Students still liked exploring the test prep guides (and I did buy two more last night), but more decided they might like to also explore some online resources. At the end of class, I quizzed them inference for the slope of a regression line. Those that focused on that today were able to answer my questions....what distribution do we use for inference on slope?....what degrees of freedom do we use? I think they answered better than my other classes would have; although, I did not quiz the other classes.

Still wondering what to do about the student who is so advanced yet not so motivated. I do think he is a bit burned out, so I am cutting him a little slack.

Thursday's Lab

Today, I allowed students to use test prep guides in class. I have a bunch of them, and I do hope they will be used by students in general. These hard-copy books were the hands-down favorite activity of the day. One student got his laptop, but the rest remained unused. I guess I should go out and buy as many of the 2010 versions as I can find tonight...

It is my hope that the students will again make more use of the laptops, but in the meantime, I will give them what they choose to use.

I am having one very advanced student who isn't making much use of his time. I am trying to figure out how to re-engage him.

Man, I need work on my multi-tasking skills!

I was just on an Eluminate session about 21st Century skills, and I was caught unawares and needed to cite  an article that I just presented on last month. It took me FOREVER to find my slides and the link to the article at the end. What a pain! I need to work on my skills, apparently. I squeaked it in at the very end, and maybe no one will click on my link, but if they do, they will see its relevance. Time will tell. I built a bridge, even if it was a small, rope one!

Back In Business Today

I tried to get the laptops this morning, but both carts were checked out to teachers on a different floor for periods before and after my class. I was told I could bring them to the lab instead. I said we would take a class vote to decide whether or not to decamp to the lab. Then, about an hour later, the tech coordinator called and said a cart of 21 machines was available. I said we'd take it! It worked just fine as not all wanted to use the laptops at once, and we have a few out. One of the sites the students found is quite popular. I need to spend more time looking at it. They seem to think the explanations on it are understandable.


That's all for today. Happy St Patrick's Day!

Low-Tech Today

I opted to do the food lab today instead of the experimental learning lab. Not all of my students have been exposed to chi-squared distributions before, so I thought they would be missing out if we skipped it. Plus, today was a day I had not reserved the computers. (Administration, after receiving complaints that we were hogging the computers, decreed I can reserve them no more than 3-4 days in a row.) Tomorrow is an unreserved day also, but I told my students I will try to get the computers in the morning. I know from experience that our teachers do not often use the laptop carts.

None of my students seemed to mind my executive decision. Sugar = good. We used Fruit Loops.

Last Week; Test Today

Last week was a resounding success - I was able to keep the laptop cart in my classroom all week. My students truly had laptop access whenever they wished during class. An administrator did a walk-through, Thursday I think, and observed a class full of students engaged in meaningful work. Some retreated to safety of book and paper work, but even when focused on solving a problem on paper, most will also login to the laptop for a quick online quiz or PowerPoint show. I asked them Thursday if I needed to do anything different for them to help them prepare Friday. They answered that they needed more work with matched pair t-intervals and tests. (Nothing another class would not have also said.) Friday was the day before the test, and of all my classes, this one seemed the most confident that they were prepared.

Today, the day of the test - my third period class had more early finishers than other classes. I peeked at their work, and wonder if they finished early because they inadequately documented their work, not because they were better prepared. Time will tell. I hope my strugglers will have done better because of the way I allowed them to work in the weeks before the test.

I have been thinking about our review unit and what I will do with this class. I may turn them loose on data/have them seek out data to analyze, rather than have them do the review problems everyone else will do. If I can structure it so they will have adequate practice, I think this is a viable strategy, and would be a lot more fun for them. They have access to SAS JMP, so they can use that for analyses...

Learning Lab

Monday - several are using opportunities to read through the book and work problems. Several are continuing to explore online. I did a demonstration today; most paid attention to that.

Tuesday - today I noted that many more were using textbooks & working problems. I am not sure what I think about it. I told them I am letting it happen, but I am not sure. Some who have found resources were invited to share what they found at the end of the period. That was a nice invitation back to the laptops, I think.

Neither of these two days were scheduled laptop cart days, but I checked last minute and no one else had them checked out. I also used the document camera both days. Helped a lot with the demonstration.

Working on inference for proportions...

ONE MAJOR ADVANTAGE to this learning lab concept - I have 2 students continuing to work on inference for means using the t distribution. They aren't holding up anyone. I told them they may have to put in extra time since they aren't where everyone else is, but they seemed to accept that.

Mostly a Thumbs-Up

I took an informal poll at the end of class today. I was watching especially those who had expressed reservations at the beginning. Some of them have converted to thumbs up. Most who expected good things are thumbs up. Quite a few of both groups are so-so. One thumbs down. I think I need to do more work to help guide some students. Research more websites and make lists of which are good for which needs students may have. Assist students more in using JMP for their own analyses. Overall, though, I am pleased. Students are much more engaged in this classroom.

I am viewing my classroom as a learning lab, with different options for students to choose, depending upon their needs at the moment.

We are finishing up with 2-sample t-tests/intervals and will begin with tests/intervals of proportions on Monday. Another thing is that this approach may make it easier to change the ordering of topics. Hmm. I'll have to think on that for next year. I might like to do that - have wanted to before, but inertia, you know.

I should mention that many students used their time to read the textbook and to try problems. I have decided to be open-mnded and let a student choose what he or she needs at any given moment.

Today's Progress...

...seemed slow to me. Maybe it was my mood. Most students found resources that engaged them and were using the laptops today. I gave them a little more direction to tell them where my other classes would be today and tomorrow. I think that helped most of them. However, some are really concerned and want to practice more problems together with me. I'll accommodate that in a small group tomorrow.

Surprising to me, when given the option of discontinuing homework in exchange for a project of individual design, all those present chose to continue homework. It must be noted that my current homework policy is universally accepted by students because it gives them freedom to skip one or two assignments every unit and still receive full credit for the homework portion. However, I really want to see what kind of projects students would come up with. Perhaps I will try again next unit and see if there are any converts.

On the plus side, this method of teaching benefits the class because I can spend my time and effort on the ones who need extra help, while not holding others back from their learning. I think this aspect has great potential for good.

The other teacher and I submitted answers to our administrator's questions today. I think we had a strong combined response. It is hard to say what may come of it, but it cannot hurt to ask for support for this experiment.

One other thing I have noted. I usually enjoy my third period very much. When my next class arrives, I am deflated to have to teach in a more teacher-centric manner again. I really like that class of students, so that helps mitigate this effect.

Glimmer of Hope

May be able to get dedicated laptops for the experiment, in conjunction with another teacher. Working on putting down some info to help others see the necessity! Hope at last!

Wintry Weather Again

We are on another 2-hr delay tomorrow. That means third period is cancelled. Again.
Hrrrmmph.

Catching Up (from last week)

In my third period last week, we had Monday without computers, which I've already spoken about in my last post. Then, Tuesday and Wednesday, my students had computers, but the classes were rather unremarkable. Thursday brought wintry weather and a delayed opening, which effectively cancelled third period. Friday was then the review day before the test. I could have had laptops, but I decided my students really needed to work some problems, so I cancelled the computers and made them work on paper. It was a good work session, and I think they all benefitted.

Monday this week was their test.

Today, Tuesday, they set to work on a new topic: the t distribution, with laptops. As I had a small snack reward, I used it wisely in this class. As each person was about to be served snack, they had to reveal one thing they had learned about the t distribution. I was pleased at the result. Each student was able to complete this satisfactorily. They clearly were not copying each other's statements. They clearly were not all using the same sources. They all learned a little bit of something about the t distribution. One of my weaker students asked me what we do about degrees of freedom for a 2 sample t-test - a topic I will be covering a few days down the road in other classes. They covered a lot of ground today in a little time. Now, all I have to do is ensure that they are sharing with each other so all benefit.

We also had a brief discussion of homework. I have offered the possibility of continuing the homework policy, or of making homework a reference to what they need to be learning, and allowing each student who chooses to create their own work product that would take the place of homework as a grade. Tomorrow they are to let me know which they choose. If they choose the product, they can determine how they will show me their understanding. Should be interesting.

One step backward

Over the weekend I read my students' opinions of this experiment as noted in my previous post. Knowing that some really did not care for it, combined with a hectic Monday morning created conditions favorable to me deciding to go back to regular teaching in third period today.
I am disappointed that I made that decision, but as the students filed in, it seemed like a better idea to make the decision and avoid the confusion and controversy of a class vote. The students didn't seem to mind too much, but I think some did. I felt like I wasn't holding up my end of the bargain.
For the students who prefer the regular way of doing things, I hope that they will continue their own explorations, and I intend to visit them more often to make sure they are finding what they need.

Well, tomorrow is another day.

Student Reflections Summary

The following were culled from student reflections as my third period experiment gets underway:

pros:

• look up what I need/explore concepts I have trouble with
• help with simulating data compared with calculators
• learn at my own pace
• independent learning will be useful skill for college
• plenty of resources available
• promotes true learning over memorization
• forces us to think critically
• no stress, enjoyable, relaxing
• pace will be quicker
• allows us to pick our own path
• make the environment suit ourselves
• opportunity to develop my own methods
• not worry about holding others up
• resources will provide multiple ways of solving the same problems
• will help promote my natural ability to learn and problem-solve
• reduces possible factors that may bother me in the classroom
• lets me learn my own way and find ways to solve problems that work for me
• will help me learn the material a lot better
• During the beginning this process of using the laptops will perhaps not be as effective as possible. However, once I have used them for a few class periods, I will have a good amount of links to visit and applications to use with a good amount of familiarity and ease. And if the laptops do not perform as I had hoped, then I do not have to use them.

cons:

• need some sort of direction
• searching around a lot and not finding much
• does this teach in the way we need for AP exam?
• need to supplement with check-ins to make sure we are on same page
• want to be able to listen to music
• need to balance with more structured work from textbook (nightly homework)
• would be helpful to go over everything we need to learn to make sure we have everything
• typically I learn best when I am directly taught/prefer lecture-style learning from teacher because it is most efficient
• I may have to put more effort into my studies
• might like a mix of independent model and traditional model/alternate days
• lengthy logins may waste time/hope login times will improve significantly
• would like wireless privileges so can use my own laptop
• didn't learn anything online - found only quizzes whereas I wanted to get the concepts clear
• need the function and order of daily lecture and reinforcement of the reading

Class of 23 breaks down as follows:
5 mostly negative, 4 vote for a balance, 13 mostly positive, 1 did not vote due to absence

Experiment Day #2

I am feeling good about this so far. I must admit that I lectured about Type I and Type II Errors today, though. I told them yesterday I would do this. It is truly the hardest thing for students to understand. Just before I started, one student asked me about something he had found yesterday. He was wondering about the p-value approach that we learned versus the critical value approach. It was a wonderful moment because I could answer his question quickly and did not have to involve the other students so much. They had other things to do, so they weren't restless and chatty, as they are in the traditional classroom model.
Logins seemed MUCH faster today. Even the students were surprised. The result was that as I lectured, they were active on their laptops. Honestly, I preferred this audience to the others I had for the same material during other periods. These students were more engaged, and there was a more positive energy in the classroom. When I was done, they did their thing. One student had typed his own version of the chart I presented on the board. When I explained how, he posted it to the classroom wiki. I then mentioned it so that others could see what he had produced. Several of the students pulled that up, I noticed. One student tried a CD I had offered, but was thwarted when the software insisted on an installation process that he wasn't authorized to do. I told him I would look into that and have some resolution for next time. He found a nifty version of statistical tables inside the CD box, though. Smaller version of what he has been using in class. It is funny what students will appreciate.
When he asked a question, I was able to talk to one of my most advanced students about the two statistical camps: frequentists/probabilists versus Bayesians. He had been exposed to Bayesian modeling in math competition training before. He needs this type of exchange with me to help him fit pieces of the puzzle together for complete understanding, but hasn't been getting it because the traditional classroom model doesn't give me the freedom I am getting from this classroom model.
The students had a good amount of time on the laptops today, but we may have to go to the computer lab on Monday. I am still sorting out the computer situation so that others also have access when they need them. Will likely be seeking a grant for classroom sets of laptops for the future.
Students who did not turn in pre-experiment reflections yesterday turned them in today.

Classroom Experiment Day #1

We are creating a 21st century learning environment in my third period classroom. Today, each student had a school laptop, learning objectives, and their choice of websites, statistical analysis software, textbook CDs, and search engines to find their own resources. Some had a lengthy login process, 4 of them waiting 30 minutes before being able to login and work. We will monitor that length of time tomorrow, and perhaps we will move to desktop machines in the computer lab instead of laptops in my classroom if login time does not improve. Two students expressed the desire to be able to use their own personal laptops, but I told them they wouldn't be able to connect to our server for internet service. Each student wrote a short reflection (on paper) to express their hopes and fears about this experiment. Most were positive statements, but a few wish to cling to a teacher-centric model. Once all were logged in, they were exploring different resources. The hush was noticeable, and the energy in the classroom seemed to increase. It was exciting for me. Unfortunately they had time only to explore today, but I am hopeful that they will quickly orient themselves and find their optimal learning paths. Tomorrow, I will give them some information lecture-style while we wait for computer logins, but after that, they will be on their own. 

Our current topic of study: basic workings of statistical inference: hypothesis tests

What do I believe about learning?

I believe that learning must be active. Therefore, I must empower my students to make active decisions about how to pursue their own learning.

If, on the other hand, I were to believe that students were passive receptacles for my content, then I would want to control the environment, and control them more. This seems to me to be the position of many administrators.

In whom do I trust?

I trust students to want to learn. I think that the desire to learn is universal. It is part of being human.

Multitasking 101

Okay, so I'm not in the Net Generation.
But...
I just

• attended an ISTE Eduverse talk in Second Life with Doug (Blue Skunk) Johnson, topic: cloud computing
• checked profile of avatar sitting next to me at above
• still attending the Future of Education conversation with Lisa Gillis, topic: online courses
• grabbed my Kindle to check quote from Disrupting Classroom which was incorporated in chat and actually mentioned by moderator of Lisa Gillis' talk
• graded a few papers, but once both sessions got going, I dropped the hard copy paperwork
• added a quote to my wiki
• started this blogpost

mostly simultaneously. I don't think I was fully engaged in either presentation; I had to keep switching back and forth audio feeds, but I also don't think I missed much. 

My interest has been high because if nothing was going on at one preso, I would simply switch to the other. I feel I got quite a lot of benefit from this first session of Multitasking 101!

How Do I Learn? From My Own Mistakes

I attended a roundtable discussion in Second Life yesterday afternoon. In the course of the discussion I volunteered to the group that I had received no formal orientation to the virtual world. The implication being that I was doing okay without it. Minutes later I discovered, much to my dismay, that I had my voicechat microphone on and it was disrupting the roundtable. The group also noticed and someone asked for whomever it was to turn off the microphone. I sheepishly apologized and continued my participation.

Later, I was reflecting on the experience. In other less crucial circumstances, I had experienced a mysterious sudden activation of my microphone when I did not intend for it to be turned on. I wondered what was happening. Suddenly, I remembered! In early days, when I was trying to figure out voicechat, I set up a shortcut key. "V" would be a toggle to turn on voicechat. I guess I had been using words containing the letter "V" when these incidents occurred. I quickly fixed my preferences so that this would not happen any more. I don't think I need a shortcut key. I've learned my lesson.

How do I learn, in general?

I am quoting from Tony Wagner's The Global Achievement Gap...

[I] want to turn the thing on, get in there, muck around, and see what works.
[I] get on the Web and link, lurk, and watch how other people are doing things, then try it for [myself].

This is a reasonable description of how I learn in general. I will also read a lot, but more in the spirit of lurking and watching how others do it, than in the spirit of directions I must follow.

What makes an authentic assessment?

In Second Life, I was invited to an ice-skating party. There were a dozen or so attendees. At one point, I thought a particular avatar was addressing conversation to me, and so I responded when appropriate. It quickly became evident to me, though, that he was conversing with someone else. I may have failed the assessment at that moment, but I won't make the same mistake next time!

How did I learn on the first day (of the New Year)?

I was surprised to find so many avatars (40-some) gathered in Second Life to hear National Public Radio's broadcast of Science Friday! I thought I would be alone with crickets chirping, but no! There was an active chat going, which didn't impress me by its tone or content, but because of it I made a brief connection with someone after reading they have a degree in my field. What are the odds of that?

As a side note, today I caught a glimpse of my SL snapshot posted on this blog. I have learned SO MUCH since I did that! It seems to me that my learning has been at a very quick pace that I have set myself.
If instead I had been in the classroom and had been forced to wait for slower learners, I:
a) would not be nearly so far along; or
b) would have sped ahead in class and risked being called out for it; or
c) would have lost interest.
None of those options are acceptable to me for my own learning (when it is something truly important to me). Should they be acceptable in our classrooms?